LiftFund, one of the country’s largest microlenders,
has been awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to stimulate job growth in the lower Mississippi River Delta region.

Advertised as a path to an affordable retirement, federally insured reverse mortgages are showing signs of a rebound, drawing the scrutiny of regulators seeking to reduce historically high default rates that have cost the government billions.